Business Research Coordinator

Business Research Coordinators are the project management and operational support infrastructure for faculty research in business schools. While professors set the research questions and analytical strategy, the coordinator keeps the work moving — managing timelines, handling compliance paperwork, collecting and organizing data, coordinating among collaborators, and troubleshooting the logistical obstacles that would otherwise slow or stall the research.

A typical week involves a mix of tasks across several projects. Monday might involve submitting an IRB amendment for a study expanding its participant pool. Tuesday involves troubleshooting a Qualtrics survey distribution that has lower-than-expected response rates. Wednesday is spent merging two datasets from WRDS (Wharton Research Data Services) for a finance professor's study on CEO compensation. Thursday involves preparing a progress report for an NSF grant due at the end of the month. The variety is substantial, which suits people who like operational complexity over deep specialization.

The IRB compliance function is a significant responsibility that demands both procedural precision and an understanding of research ethics principles. Business research involving surveys of consumers, managers, or employees; experimental studies; or archival data that could identify individuals requires IRB oversight. Coordinators who understand the system — and can advise faculty on how to design studies to minimize review burden while maintaining ethical protection — are genuinely valuable.

Data management is the other major technical function. Research data in business schools comes from dozens of sources: proprietary databases like Compustat, CRSP, and Bloomberg; surveys administered through Qualtrics or Prolific; interviews and field observations; and archival records. Keeping data organized, documented, and reproducible is a core contribution that protects the integrity of the research program.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in business, economics, psychology, public administration, or a related field (minimum)
• Master's degree preferred for positions with significant data analysis or grant management responsibilities
• MBA may be valued at business schools for contextual understanding of business research

Core skills:

• Project management: tracking multiple simultaneous projects with different timelines and stakeholders
• IRB protocol preparation and compliance management
• Survey design and administration using Qualtrics, REDCap, SurveyMonkey, or similar tools
• Data cleaning and organization in Excel, SPSS, Stata, or R
• Grant administration: budget tracking, financial reporting, progress report preparation

Research-specific knowledge valued:

• Familiarity with business research databases: WRDS, Bloomberg, Compustat, CRSP, SDC Platinum
• Understanding of research methodology: surveys, experiments, archival data, qualitative interviews
• Literature search skills: EBSCO, ProQuest, SSRN, Google Scholar
• Reference management: Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote

Administrative and communication skills:

• Ability to manage competing priorities from multiple faculty members who all believe their project is most urgent
• Clear written communication for grant reports, IRB submissions, and research documentation
• Discretion with confidential data and unpublished research findings

Credentials that add value:

• CITI Program certification in human subjects research (required at most institutions before doing IRB-related work)
• Project management certification (PMP, CAPM) for roles with large research portfolios

Demand for research coordination and management staff in business schools tracks research activity, which is tied to faculty size and grant funding levels. At well-resourced research universities, research coordinator positions are stable staff lines rather than soft-money positions dependent on a single grant. At smaller institutions, coordinators often support multiple faculty members and may be partially funded by departmental budgets.

The growth of externally funded business research — through NSF, foundations like Kauffman and Smith Richardson, and industry partnerships — has expanded the coordinator role beyond pure data management into grant administration, which adds complexity and value to the position. Research coordinators who develop grant management expertise are marketable to universities, research hospitals, and nonprofit research organizations.

The data and analytics dimension of the role has grown substantially. Business researchers increasingly work with large secondary datasets that require database access management, data cleaning, and coding skill beyond what was typical a decade ago. Coordinators with data skills — particularly Python, R, or SQL — are worth more in the current market than those limited to Excel and survey platforms.

Career paths from this position run in multiple directions. Some coordinators move into research administration (grants management, compliance), which has a defined career ladder at most universities. Others pursue graduate study supported by the research experience they've accumulated. Some transition into industry research roles at market research firms, management consulting, or corporate strategy functions where the quantitative and project management skills transfer directly.

The position is also a good fit for people considering academic careers who want to see the research environment from the inside before committing to a PhD program. The proximity to faculty research allows coordinators to develop informed views about whether they want to produce that kind of work themselves.

Dear Search Committee,

I'm applying for the Business Research Coordinator position at [University]'s [School of Business]. I have a master's degree in applied economics from [University] and two years of experience as a research analyst at [Consulting Firm], where I supported a team of economists doing applied policy research for state government clients.

In that role I managed the data collection and cleaning process for studies using state administrative records — Medicaid claims, unemployment insurance records, and K-12 education data. I prepared IRB protocols for two studies, coordinated data sharing agreements with state agencies, and built a tracking system in Asana that kept three concurrent project teams aligned on deliverables and deadlines.

I'm comfortable with Stata and R for data cleaning and analysis, and I have experience with Qualtrics for survey administration. I've submitted CITI certification training and would complete any institution-specific human subjects training immediately upon hiring.

What I find most interesting about this position is the scope of faculty research it supports. [Business School]'s emphasis on experimental and survey-based research in consumer behavior and marketing strategy is directly aligned with the methodology I've been most involved with. I'm particularly interested in supporting studies that combine survey data with behavioral observation or secondary data — the design and data management complexity is something I'm well-prepared to handle.

I'm available to start within four weeks of an offer and would welcome the chance to speak with you about the role.

[Your Name]